Bill introduced in Senate to permanently extend estate tax; House may try for a one-year patch On November 17, Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and George V. Voinovich (R-OH) reintroduced legislation that would permanently extend the estate tax, due to expire at the end of this year under current law. The legislation would freeze the estate tax at its current 2009 levels. Under the bill, the value of any estate above $7 million per couple or $3.5 million per individual would be taxed at a 45% rate. That rate would remain constant, while exclusion amounts would be adjusted upward each year to account for inflation. Consideration of estate tax relief in the House of Representatives is expected to be delayed until after the Thanksgiving recess, as the House Democratic leadership has decided to focus its attention instead on job creation. The Democratic leadership is likely to move a one-year extension of the estate tax with other expiring tax provisions, instead of a permanent fix of the estate tax. However, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Charlie Rangel (D-NY) said that he would continue to work to get a permanent fix for the estate tax.